✦ Compare
Lugano vs
Madrid
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Lugano, CH vs Madrid, ES at a glance — Madrid, ES is 30% cheaper than Lugano, CH overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $1,800/mo. Top income tax: 47% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Madrid, ES, you'd need
$52,423 / year
Madrid, ES is 30% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Madrid, ES vs Lugano, CH)
- Housing-25%
- Food & groceries-33%
- Transport-30%
- Utilities-10%
- Healthcare-43%
- Goods & services-35%
◎ How Lugano, CH and Madrid, ES compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Lugano, CH | Madrid, ES | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 147 | 103 |
| Housing | 160 | 120 |
| Food | 150 | 100 |
| Transport | 115 | 80 |
| Utilities | 122 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 140 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 155 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,800/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | — | $950/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | — | $2,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | — | $6,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $679 | $971 |
| Inexpensive meal | — | $14 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 47% |
| VAT / sales tax | 8.1% | 21% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 6.4% |
| Corporate tax | 15% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 0% | 28% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $6,000/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $57,779✓ |
| Minimum wage | — | $1,652/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $114,769✓ | $38,627✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 0.2%✓ | 2.7%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | — | Low |
| Coworking spaces | — | 70 |
| Time zone | — | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | — | 74 |
| Safety index | — | 62 |
| Healthcare index | — | 80 |
| Pollution index | — | 45 |
| Internet speed | — | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | — | 88 |
| Public transport | — | 90 |
| Family-friendly | — | 68 |
| Tap water | — | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | — | +6 °C |
| July avg | — | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | — | 250 |
| Rainfall / year | — | 420 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | — | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Switzerland vs Spain. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Lugano vs Madrid — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Lugano
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
Good to know before you move to Madrid
Spain's sunny, sociable capital — great transit and food, affordable by Western-European standards.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 25°C · 250 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Malasaña · Chamberí · La Latina
Plan your move to Lugano
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Madrid
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Lugano to Madrid: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Lugano to Madrid, your cost of living will be roughly 30% cheaper. Madrid’s cost-of-living index is 103 versus 147 for Lugano (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Lugano cheaper than Madrid?
Madrid is about 30% cheaper than Lugano overall — its cost-of-living index is 103 versus 147 for Lugano.
Which is more expensive, Lugano or Madrid?
Lugano is more expensive than Madrid. Its cost-of-living index is 147 vs 103 (US = 100) — about 43% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Lugano or Madrid?
Rent is cheaper in Madrid — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,800 in Lugano.
How much do you need to earn in Madrid to live like in Lugano?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Lugano is worth about $52,423 in Madrid. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Lugano or Madrid?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 47% in Spain.
◷ More comparisons from Lugano
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.